lO NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The osteology of all of them has been studied by me, from 

 abundance of materiaL The first named has recently been elimi- 

 nated from our avifauna. 



Coming next to the eagles — our avifauna offers the following 

 genera and species, viz : 



Aquila chrj^saetos Haliaetus albicilla 



Thrasaetus harpyia Haliaetus leucocephalus, 



and of them I have seen skeletons of Haliatus leucoce- 

 phalus, and A q u i 1 a c h r y s a e t o s , and some foreign 

 forms. There has recently heen added to our list H. 1. a 1 a s - 

 c a n u s . 



Some 14 or 15 species of the genus Falco are represented in the 

 avifauna of this country, and I have been permitted to examine 

 skeletons of a number of them, as for instance — Falco island- 

 u s , Falco c o 1 u m b a r i u s , F' a 1 c o m e x i c a n u s , 

 Falco s p a r V e r i u s , Falco r u s t i c o 1 u s g y r f a 1 c o , 

 and others. 



Of the caracaras v;e have 



Polyborus cheriway Polj'borus lutosus 



and I see on the list of my material from the United States National 

 Museum, P o 1 y b O' r 'u, s t h a r u s , P o i'y b o r u s. a u d u - 

 b o n i , which will probably answer for the skeletal characters of 

 these birds. I am also indebted to Mr Lucas for a complete skeleton, 

 Polyborus lutosus, loaned from his private cabinet. 



Ospreys complete our Falconidae, and we have the well known 

 cosmopolitan type P a n d i o n haliaetus c a r o 1 i n e n s i s . 

 The museum skeleton has been seen by me, and Mr Philip Laurent 

 of Philadelphia has kindly sent me a complete one of his own col- 

 lecting. Its osteology is especially interesting. 



Skeletons of foreign hawks, kites, eagles etc. have also been 

 studied in connection with the preparation of the present treatise, as 

 Geranospizias niger, Herpetotheres, X i s u s b i - 

 color, Ibycter, Micrastur, Milvago, Rupornis, Gypogeranus, and 

 a number of others. 



CATHARTIDAE 



Great pneumaticity characterizes nearly all the bones of the 

 skeleton of any one of the species of this family, and it is only cer- 

 tain portions of the cranium, lower maxilla and pelvis, the hyoidean 

 arches, the atlas, the tail vertebrae, the bones of the pelvic limb 



